Dean Novak
by EEWhale
Summary: Another Destiel story - but this time i wondered how it would be if Sam didnt approve of their relationship for a change? and would the brothers be able to put their differences aside, when it came to protecting their loved ones, or has too much damage already been done? PS I hated writing Sam like this!
1. A Surprise Visit

Castiel and Dean are in bed, snoozing away. Cas has his arm around Dean's torso, as they dream into the night. It's pitch black, you can barely see a thing; must be well past midnight now. But Dean is stirred by a cough a few feet away from the bed. At first he thought he was dreaming.

"your home is a wreck_," _came the vaguely familiar voice from within the darkness_. "_You could have atleast cleaned the bathroom_." _

"it was his turn_,"_ came Dean's automatic response, as he nudged towards Cas, trying to sit himself up.

It was true, he had been nagging Cas to clean the bathroom for a couple days now. But life gets in the way, and quite frankly time flies by too quickly lately; there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

"well, if I knew we were going to be having guests at…" Cas opens one eye to stretch across Dean and glance at the alarm clock, "THREE am, I'm sure I would have cleaned it sooner."

Dean rests an arm on Castiel's back, as the pair of them grunt with irritation. Dean pinches his eyes, as he forces them open. Finally awakening a little, he soon realises why he thought he recognised that voice.

"hang on… Sam?" Dean queries.

Seeing as he is already stretched over that way, Cas reaches out and switches on Dean's bedside lamp. He immediately sees that it is indeed Sam, and Cas sighs, as he bows his head in relief – and a little annoyance.

"what are you doing here, Sam?" Cas sounds angry at Sam, simply from the mention of his name.

And it seems more than just being woken up. Its a serious, hot, red anger, that's been boiling up for a while. And worst of all? Dean doesn't stop him.

"Oh wait, should I apologise for the position you have found us in?" Castiel sarcastically rambles on, as he sits himself up a little, still leaning on his husband. "I mean this is _**our**_ bedroom, and _**our **_house, but I know how much our relationship offends you."

"I never said that, Cas!" Sam tries to defend himself - apparently not for the first time.

"Hey!" Dean buts in, pulling himself up out of bed. This causes a little huff from Cas, as he is forced to reposition himself. "Don't start on him, Sam, none of this is his fault!"

Sam laughs out loud, mocking the pair of them. Cas rolls over onto his back, clenches his fists at his face and grunts in frustration. It's the same argument being played over and over again, and he is getting real sick of it.

"are you kidding me?" Sam continues, his own anger evident, as his voice gets louder with every word. "This is all his fault, Dean! That damn angel of yours is the reason you and I are living on opposite sides of the country!"

Dean doesn't respond, instead he stands still, staring Sam right in the eyes, silently daring him to say that again. But instead Cas drags himself out of bed, and looks right at Sam, who purposely tries to avert the angel's gaze.

Cas laughs to himself a little, and purposely kisses Dean in front of his brother. It's the only thing that steers Dean's gaze away from his brother, as he wraps his arm around Castiel's waist. The pair are sure to savour every nano second of their kiss.

"oh please, do you really have to do that?" Sam protests, as he turns his head around.

Pulling himself away, with a hand still resting on his husbands chest, Cas shakes his head. He takes a deep breath, half smiling at Dean. None of this is his fault, after all. But still, the angel storms out the room and down the corridor, being sure not to give Sam any eye contact.

"get out," Dean finally states, still watching the doorway, where his eyes had followed Cas out of the room. He is calm but stern. He is serious.

"no, Dean," Sam pleads, remembering there is a reason he broke into his brother's house. "listen to me!"

"I said get out!" Dean's anger gets the better of him, as he screams in Sam's face. Their noses are almost touching, as Dean is sure to lock eyes with his brother once again.

Sam attempts to stay standing still in protest, but Dean physically pushes his brother out of the room and towards the staircase. He stands at the top of the steps, arms folded in defence, as he watches Sam descend. But halfway down, Sam stops in his tracks, as he hears something in the background.

"wh-," Sam tries to get his words together, not wanting his thoughts to be confirmed. But he knows that sound anywhere. That was a child. A baby in fact, crying for its Daddy. "is that…?"

"That's your niece, Jemima," Dean confirms, sternly, his top lip quivering a little. "The niece you lost the right to have anything to do with, the day you refused to attend her parents' wedding."

"Dean, I never," Sam tries to defend himself again, as the reality of what he is being told begins to sink in.

But Dean isn't listening. He has heard enough of Sam's excuses, and he has certainly heard enough of his disgust towards Cas.

"Get out of our house," Dean tells him, one last time.

Sam sighs, shakes his head a little, and begrudgingly heads down the rest of the stairs. He needs to get Dean to listen to him, even more so now he knows about Jemima. She just makes everything so much more urgent.

He cant help but feel sad about the fact that he has never seen his niece. And he will most probably never be allowed to see her. And all because of some big misunderstanding that has been going on way too long.

But, more importantly, back to the matter at hand - how will he get Dean to listen to him?

Dean heads back across the landing to find his husband cradling the baby, softly signing, as he rocks her back to sleep in his arms. Such a beautiful sight. No matter what was going on around them, just watching his little family will always make Dean smile.

After briefly admiring them from afar, Dean slowly walks over to his husband, and puts an arm around him, as Cas naturally nestles his head into his husband's shoulder.

"I love you, Cas," Dean confirms, finding himself almost trying to apologise for Sam's behaviour.

"I know you do," Cas states, as he escapes Dean's embrace, and places Jemima down in her cot, gingerly.

Cas pauses a little and smiles, watching over his daughter, before he turns to face Dean again. But Dean knows Sam's words have got to his husband, and quite rightly so.

"Cas," Dean begins, but Cas leaves the room before he has a chance to say any more.

Dean frowns to himself, annoyed that his brother is still getting between them. Cas must know that Dean doesn't agree with any of what Sam says. He has got to know how much their marriage means to him.

Cas walks past Dean, with his head hanging down, trying not to look at him. He knows Dean will be feeling upset right now, and he hates seeing Dean so torn. It's his own brother that has come between them time and time again. Dean has always blamed himself for that. But its not Dean's fault - none of this happened before Cas came along.

Reaching their bedroom, Cas sits himself on the edge of their bed, naturally followed by Dean. He perches himself beside the angel, but the silence still remains. And Cas still cant look Dean in the eye.

"It's okay, I understand," Dean confirms, as he takes Castiel's hand in his, lovingly. "You can leave – they all do…"

"What? No! Dean, not me, not ever," Cas reassures him. "That's not what I was going to say," he laughs a little, as he places a hand on Dean's cheek.

"But-"

"I love you, you idiot," Cas interrupts. "I'm not going anywhere," he smiles, as he runs his hand around Dean's neck, stroking his cheek a little with his thumb. He pulls his husband in for a kiss, as he naturally leans into Castiel's touch a little. A soft, loving kiss, as he continues to caress Dean's neck.

"It's just that," Cas continues. He takes his hand from around Dean's neck, trails it down his body, and rests both his hands on Dean's lap. "I don't want to keep coming between you and your brother."

"what brother?" Dean scoffs, as he takes a hold of Castiel's hands in reassurance. "He lost that title years ago, when he started all this."

"That's my point, Dean," Cas insists, as he readjusts himself to sit cross-legged on the bed, facing right at Dean. "This has all been going on too long. You're the Winchester's; you're family."

"I haven't been a Winchester in a long time," Dean corrects him. "I am Dean Novak – and I don't want to be anything else.

"Dean-"

"no, Cas," Dean's frustration is beginning to show again, as he gets up from the bed, "we have been here before."

He is not mad at Castiel, he is mad at the situation. He is sick of Sam getting in between them all the time. He just wants them to be able to live a happy life, as a family. Just the three of them.

"There's no need for the way he talks to you," Dean continues. "If my own brother doesn't like the fact that I'm gay, then he is no brother of mine."

"You've been through so much together," Cas continues to argue, "don't throw all that away just because of me."

"Now, stop it," Dean playfully begins to assert himself. "It's not just a personal thing against you, Cas, its everything, okay? Stop all this crap about blaming yourself – that's my move"

"Dean-" Cas tries to stop Dean taking the mickey out of himself. He hates it when he does that. He never realises how important he is, how valid his thoughts and feelings are.

"just get back into bed will you?" Dean orders Cas, still trying to put a playful spin on their discussion.

Castiel can't help but smile. He knows Sam is never going to change the way things are now. But mostly, he knows how much that must get to Dean, a lot more than he lets on, even to Cas.

And yet, its in these little pockets of joy, where Dean is playfully taking control, trying to make Cas smile, that the angel is reminded why their relationship is worth fighting for.

He cant help but watch Dean stroll around to his side of the bed, watching him smile to himself, before shooting a big grin over to Cas and climbing under the covers. Cas joins Dean, nestling himself under the covers. Dean wraps an arm around him, as he pulls the angel in closer.

"I love you," Dean declares, as he kisses his husband on the forehead.

"I love you more," Castiel grins, as he snuggles himself into Dean's body a little more.

But with everything going on right now, and the very real feeling of an old threat looming, Sam wasn't backing down so easy.

He knew he wasn't welcome here at the Novak household, but he wasn't here for a beer and a catch up. He was here because lives depended on it. Sam needed to convince his brother to work with him again – and fast.


	2. Determination

Sam has made himself comfortable at the dining room table downstairs. He is sipping a mug of coffee, as his eyes are glued to his laptop screen. He almost forgets he isn't in his own house.

Cas comes down softly bobbing his arms and humming to the sleepy newborn he is cradling. He is always the first one to rise, getting the coffee machine up and running, whilst Dean awakens naturally.

On the average day Cas is sure to give Jemima the first feed of the day, and generally Dean comes down just in time to take over and wind her, giving Cas a chance to grab a coffee for himself.

But not today.

Cas is irritated but not necessarily shocked to find the other Winchester brother settled in their dining room. His singing stops immediately, and the smile on his face vanishes right away.

"WHAT are you still doing here?" he hisses, through gritted teeth.

Cas tries to keep the volume to a minimum, to not only keep the baby calm, but he doesn't want to startle Dean upstairs. In some sort of delayed reaction to Sam's prescence, Cas suddenly repositions Jemima to perch on his side. He cradles her head, making sure Sam cant see her – almost like he doesn't deserve to see her face.

"what's with the name?" Sam wonders, but still refuses to take his eyes away from his laptop screen, unphased by the angel's anger.

"I asked you a question," Castiel persists. "and you better have a good reason. Dean will be down any second, and he is not going to be happy to see you again."

"believe me," Sam responds with immense attitude, as he begins to type away, "I would not be here unless it was absolutely necessary."

Cas huffs and walks around the table, heading towards the coffee machine. He makes a point of barging past Sam as he goes. He warms some milk in the microwave for the baby, as he briefly smiles down at her.

"well of course," Cas continues to sarcastically argue with Sam, as he begins to make his and Dean's morning coffee. "you wouldn't want to be around Dean and I for too long, in case you _catch something_(!)"

"Cas, please!" Sam doesn't know whether he is annoyed with the constant bickering between the three of them, annoyed at the fact that no-one seems to be understanding how urgent things are, or just annoyed that most of what Cas is saying is right.

Dean emerges from the hallway, stretching and yawning, as his eyes are barely open. But his sleepiness and morning bed-head face is quickly wiped off when he sees that his brother has returned – if he even left last night.

"I told you to leave," he orders, suddenly standing bolt upright, asserting his authority.

"Dean," Sam begins to beg again, "just hear me out."

Dean walks around the table, heading towards his family on the other side of the room. He kisses Jemima in the forehead, smiling at her with pride, as always.

"why on Earth would I do that?"

Cas hands his husband a large mug of coffee with a smile, before receiving a little thankyou kiss on his cheek. Again, Sam makes a very obvious point of looking away from this. A brave move for someone who is here because he wants help.

Dean notices this of course and grunts in anger, as he walks right up to his brother.

"I owe you nothing!" he hisses, as he points in Sam's face.

Unphased by even his brother's threats, Sam still tries to reason with him. "My family are in danger, Dean!"

"and?" Cas shrugs, as he begins to feed Jemima her bottle.

Sam rolls his eyes at Cas, and turns his whole body around to face directly at Dean.

"You're the best hunter I know," Sam insists. "I need your help. You're still my brother; please."

But Dean just ignores Sam, and Castiel does the same. Sam has hardly earned any respect from the couple in the last 12 hours, let alone in the past few years. You'd think he would try a bit harder, seeing as he is so adamant he needs their help.

With the couple still showing no sign of mercy, Sam gets desperate.

"Poughkeepsie!" he states, hoping his brother will now recognise the urgency of the situation.

Dean finds himself naturally standing to attention. But he forces himself out of it – he's not a hunter anymore.

"nice try," Dean coyly smiles. "That means nothing to me; we are no longer brothers."

Dean's anger is now bubbling up pretty quick, as he towers himself over Sam at the table, shouting at him.

"Brothers respect one another – and they do _**not**_ roll their eyes at their in laws! Now, I wont tell you again. GET. OUT. OF OUR. HOUSE!"

Sam matches his behaviour, his rage being fuelled too, but from a different source. His brother needs to know the truth, and he needs to know it now.

"It's Azazel!" Sam shouts in Dean's face. "He's back."

Dean freezes. He doesn't know whether to cry, scream, or punch the wall. He isn't scared for Sam and his wife; he is scared for Cas. And for their daughter. Poor little Jemima. A silent tear begins to form in his eye.

"Dean?" Cas reassures him, placing a hand on his shoulder from behind. "it's okay, we're okay."

Dean doesn't really respond. He doesn't lash out, he doesn't shout, he just… stands there, desperately trying to control his suddenly rapid breathing.

"he told you to leave," Cas reinforces Dean's words to his brother-in-law.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Sam has calmed himself down a little now, but apparently still liked to make a point of ignoring Castiel. "It is true, though. I don't know how, but he is back. And before you ask, it really is him. He has… he tried to take John, my son…"

"your what?"

That was a big enough piece of news to bring Dean out of his shock.

"what?" Sam's attitude is back within an instant. "you're the only one allowed to start a family?"

"you might want to cut the arrogance if you want our help," Castiel butts in, making a valid point.

"I was asking for Dean's help," Sam finally faces Cas, "not yours."

"and that is exactly the problem," Dean almost laughs at himself, in disbelief. "You know, I almost thought about it there for a second. But even now, you have the balls to disrespect my family!"

"what? Someone has got to stay home with the kid, surely?" Sam tries to force reason into his apparent personal hatred towards Castiel.

"You haven't changed at all," Dean scoffs.

"Whatever, Dean," Sam finally gives up his fight. "You don't want to listen to me? That's fine. But your daughter is the one in danger here. Just thought you'd want to know."

Sam swipes his laptop, shaking his head. He is annoyed at himself for not being able to help protect Dean and his daughter. And now he is going to have to go back to his family and figure out a way through this. Alone.

Dean and his family are left stood in silence, reeling from the news. Cas stands in shock, hearing Sam's warning play over and over again in his head. Dean kisses Jemima on the head, and hugs himself into Cas, protectively.


	3. Just Brother Stuff

Sam pulls his Dodge Charger into his driveway, after a long drive back home. His mind had been reeling the whole time. He was used to him and Dean arguing so much, although these days there was just silence between them. But Sam honestly thought Dean would put all of that aside, after being told the severity of the threat they're facing. Was Sam stupid to think Dean could forgive and forget so quickly? Or did Dean really not understand how bad the situation is?

His car glistens in the moonlight, as he locks it behind him and heads inside. Before he has barely taken a step inside the front door, Ruby is there to welcome him with open arms.

"You're home!" she squeals with excitement – and relief. "Where's Dean?"

Sam brushes past her, with a heavy look of defeat on his face. He heads into the lounge, and scoops up his son from the play pen. Ruby had obviously kept him awake so he can see his daddy. She knows Sam wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving John in his cot, without the pair of them watching over him.

"He's not coming, is he?" Ruby affirms, as she follows her husband into the room.

Sam really doesn't feel like talking. He feels betrayed by his brother. This is bigger than those two and their problems – their children are in danger. And he hates his brother for not realising that.

Squeezing his 6 month old in his arms, Sam looks across the room at his wife. He forces his puppy eyes to disappear, as he sighs to himself and stands to attention.

"it's alright," the hunter states, "we don't need him anyway – we have me! One Winchester is all we have ever needed."

"Sam-," Ruby tries to interrupt.

"And with my amazing wife by my side," Sam continues, talking over her, "he'll never get to John, again."

"Sam," Ruby speaks louder this time, placing a comforting hand on his bicep.

Sam's overly-false smile disappears again, as he finally stops rambling and looks at his wife.

"Sam, sit down."

Doing as he is told, Sam perches himself on the edge of the couch. He watches on as Ruby pops little John on her lap, sitting opposite him. He cant help but smile to himself, as she begins to pull faces at their son, getting him to giggle a little. Sam shakes his head with worry, trying to avert his gaze away from his family.

"It was worth a try, babe," Ruby assures, as she looks over at her concerned husband.

"was it?" he asks, looking right at her. "It feels like he is angry with me now more than ever," he sighs to himself. "And he's got a kid. Dean has a daughter; I have a niece, and I didn't even know."

"Well," Ruby averts his gaze now, knowing he isn't going to be too pleased with her next comment. "If you ever told me what went on between you two, maybe I could help?"

She tries to act quite nonchalant with her point, but it becomes pretty obvious that this is not the first time she has had to prod at the current state of the Winchester brothers. And Sam is really not in the mood.

"I've told you," Sam insists, annoyance immediately recognisable in his voice, "its just-"

"just brother stuff," Ruby finishes his excuse for him, having heard it for the millionth time. "Yeah, you've said that much."

Ruby perches John on her hip, as she stands herself up from the couch. She heads for the door and towards the staircase.

"I'm going to settle him down," she informs Sam. "Don't worry, I will take the first watch."

She may be annoyed at Sam right now, but she can see he is in no fit state to stay up for a few more hours. Whether or not he will actually get some sleep over the next few hours, she highly doubts. But he cannot watch over John when his mind is so distracted.

And she is right. Sam finds himself leaning back into the couch, sighing as he rubs a hand over his face. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, he is trying his best not to let the tears fall. What the hell is he going to do now?


	4. Helicopter Parent

It's the middle of the night back at the Novak household, but Dean is far from asleep. He is sat bolt upright, his eyes locked on the crib at the end of their marital bed.

Cas is lying down, with his eyes shut; he barely stirs. He can feel that his husband isn't next to him, where he should be. And he knows him so well, its obvious what he is doing, without Cas even having to open his eyes.

"she is fine, Dean," the angel mutters, barely opening his eyes. "You need to get some rest."

"You know I can't do that, Cas," came the worried reply from the darkness.

"what do you want us to do?" Cas finally starts to wake up a little, his voice still gravelly. "Take shifts?"

"actually," Dean nods to himself, "not your worst idea."

Cas pulls himself upright, as he sighs a little to himself. Dean's pillow was untouched. It may be the middle of the night, but it was clear the hunter hadn't even attempted to get a wink of sleep.

"And how long are you planning on keeping this up?" enquired the angel, as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes.

"For as long as it takes," Dean states, quite authoritively. "Until I know she is safe."

"and when is that going to be? Her 18th birthday?" the sarcasm strong in Castiel's voice, as he continues to display compassion towards his husband. "Are you still going to be watching over her, as she has children of her own?"

"Don't, Cas," the hunter emotionally replied, in defence.

"Don't what?"

Cas can understand that Dean is worried, but surely he has got to realise he is over reacting. With a life like theirs, a threat is always going to be just around the corner, in one form or another.

But Dean is only getting more and more frustrated with him. He leans over to his bedside lamp and switches it on. He instantly receives a groan of annoyance from Cas – the angel clearly knows what's coming.

"Don't belittle me!" Dean begins to raise his voice. "She is our daughter, Cas, okay? I am not wrong about wanting to keep her safe!"

"Of course not," Cas argues back, sympathetically. "I'm not saying that, Dean. I'm just saying there is going to be plenty of times when you are going to feel like you need to protect her, but you cant be by her side 24/7. That's just ridiculous!"

"Dammit, Cas!" Dean is shouting by this point. "She is 5 weeks old! She can't even feed herself yet – she can barely hold her own head up!"

"Dean-"

"Cas, just back off, alright?" the hunter lowers his voice again, trying to put an end to the fighting. It's not helping the situation. "If he is coming, then I am gonna make damn sure he does not get to my daughter. I will give my life to make sure she gets to live out hers. Don't you try to stop me."

"I would never stop you, Dean," Castiel reassures him. "She is my daughter, too. I just want to help."

"Then you have to let me do this," Dean requests.

Dean climbs out of bed, and cautiously takes a hold of Jemima. He shushes her, lightly bobbing her side to side, as he brings her back over to their marital bed.

"She is safest by our sides," Dean reassures himself, as he nestles the baby in between the two of them.

"Without a doubt," Castiel agrees.

A sympathetic smile spreads across the angel's face, as he kisses Dean, showing his support. Cas settles himself back on the pillow, still smiling away. He watches on, as Dean is sure to keep one hand on the baby, whilst reaching over to switch off the light. The hunter finally settles himself down to sleep, rolling onto his side, cradling Jemima with one arm at all times.


	5. Some Things Never Change

A few months pass, and we are in a similar situation. Its night time, Jemima is nestled in between her parents, who are both snoring away. Dean has rolled over in his sleep, and has his back to his daughter. A dark figure in the night reaches out to grab her, but dean instinctively grabs the wrist, before they get a chance to even touch the baby. He looks right into the eyes of the figure, asserting his dominance immediately. Even in the pitch black, Dean knew who it was; his distinctive eyes gave him away – Azazel.

But before Dean could even react, Azazel knocks him out with one simple touch. Castiel stirs a little, but when he sees someone leaning over the bed to pick up the baby, he assumes its his husband. He smiles to himself, and rolls over – to face Dean.

Castiel's eyes shoot wide open, as he sits up to attention in a micro second, and blasts Azazel across to the other side of the room.

But then he realises his daughter was in that mans arms.

He rushes out of bed, to rescue the crying child from the arms of the monster, bobbing her side to side and shushing her, to soothe the crying. One quick check-over, and thankfully the yellow eyed demon seemed to have broken her fall.

Cas rushes over to Dean, as he continues to rock and soothe Jemima, desperately trying to wake his husband. The baby in one arm, Cas uses his free hand to nudge Dean back into consciousness.

"Dean?" the angel mutters. "Dean!" he raises his voice some more.

But still he gets no response. Scared sick to his stomach, Cas turns to face the demon still crumpled up by the wall.

"what did you do to him?" he snarls, but only gets a smirk in response. "DEAN!"

Thankfully, Dean suddenly awakens, startled. He is panting as he regains consciousness, clutching at his chest.

"Cas!" he gasps, grabbing at his husband's free forearm, pulling himself up to rest against the headboard. "Is she okay?"

"she's fine Dean," he reassures him, "completely hum-"

But Cas is interrupted as he spots the dark figure approaching Dean fast.

"DEAN!"

Those nightmare-enducing snake eyes still glowing bright, a grotesque grin begins to spread across Azazel's face. Dean spins himself around in bed, now face to face with his old enemy, with one arm outstretched behind him, protecting his family.

"Just hand me the baby boys," Azazel has the guts to request. "I will be out of your hair in no time."

"Not a chance in hell," Dean growls, his body remaining eerily calm, as his face carries all his anger.

Grabbing his angel blade from under the bed, Castiel swiftly slices Azazel's chest. He knows it wont do much damage, but it's enough to put the demon off his stride. More importantly, it gives Dean the time he needs to grab the colt from his beside cabinet.

Azazel smirks a little at the scrape from the angel blade, but when he looks up again, he spots the colt. Not willing to take the risk, he exhales to himself.

"Until next time kids," the demon declares, before vanishing from right infront of the married couple.

"that was risky, Dean," Cas declares, as the two of them breathe a sigh of relief. "You and I both know that gun is empty."

"Luckily for us, _**he**_ didn't," Dean states, as he tucks the colt back into the cabinet.

Castiel nods with half a smile, finding himself admiring Dean's ballsy character in such situations. Cas likes to think he could stand up to whatever monster he needs to – in fact, he has done, many times – but its not so easy when you're cradling your infant child.

Sitting himself on the edge of their bed, Cas finds himself checking the baby over again. He has already done it once, but now he can look at her properly. Dean stands himself up straight, stretching out a little, in pain, watching over his family.

"Are you sure she's-"

"No, she is alright, Dean," Cas confirms. "Proper little fighter, barely a scratch on her. Clearly she takes after her father."

"Let's not get our hopes up," Dean declares, the angst evident in his voice. "You heard him, he's gonna be back. And we've got to be ready next time."

Dean heads across the room, glancing at the debris from Azazel's crash into their bedroom wall.

"Sam was right," Dean laughs to himself, "our place really is a mess."

"Really, Dean?" Castiel sounds irritated with Dean's insistent joke-making in such serious situations.

"Sorry, Cas."

Dean taps his husband on the shoulder as he walks past him, heading for the door.

"Now where are you going?" Castiel worries.

"Relax," Dean reassures him. "You know me, I've just woken up, so now I gotta pee."

"of course," the angel chuckles, "some things never change."

Dean laughs a little with him, before heading out, pulling their bedroom door closed behind him. He sighs to himself as he looks at the closed door, wandering how on Earth he is going to save his family now.

There is only one way he could stand a chance…

He heads to the end of the corridor and picks up the phone from the wall. He dials the number without even thinking, like it comes naturally to him, even after all this time. Keeping an eye on the door, Dean waits patiently as the dial tone rings out. So he leaves a message.

"_Sam? You're right, we've got to club together on this. All __**four**_ _of us. For the sake of our children."_


	6. Now Everyone Knows

Pulling up in the Impala outside the unfamiliar house, Dean shuts the engine off, but just sits still for a moment. Castiel is sat in the back, next to the car seat, filled with a bundle of blankets, under which somewhere lies baby Jemima.

"Are you sure about this, Dean?" Cas asks, resting a hand on his husband's shoulder in front of him.

Dean rests his own hand on top of Castiel's, and sighs. He doesn't know. After the way Sam has been over the last few years, he isn't sure he wants to help him, even now. Sam didn't even respond to his voicemail last night, he doesn't even know that the Novak family were on their way. But then Dean finds himself glancing in the rear-view mirror, and remembers why he dragged his family into the Impala in the middle of the night and drove them all the way across country.

"yeah, I'm sure," Dean confirms, his eyes fixed on his daughter's reflection in the mirror.

Arriving at the door, Dean takes a death breath, before ringing the doorbell. Cas stands a little behind him, gripping the car seat harbouring their sleeping daughter. He steps forward a little, allowing him to rest his palm supportively on the base of Dean's spine.

But there is no answer. The couple can hear chattering from inside, but no one answers. It sounds like the voices are coming from upstairs, in the midst of a heated argument, but Dean cant quite work out what they're saying.

"Come on," Cas tries to pull Dean away, "they obviously don't want to let us in."

"No," Dean insists. "We came all the way out here. We are not heading back already."

This time Dean bangs on the door with his fist, making sure the couple can hear him. And he assumes its worked, when the raised voices stop, shortly followed by the sound of footsteps down the stairs.

"you came?" Sam greets his brother with a smile, as he open the door. But his smile disappears right away when he sees Castiel. "And you brought him. Of course you did."

Sam rolls his eyes in annoyance, and yet, he didn't expect anything else. Ruby dashes along behind Sam, with her own son in her arms.

"Dean?" she also greets him with a smile. "Cas! You're both here! It's about time you visited us!"

Ruby grinned, as she ushered them both in, trying to peer into the car seat as they passed. Sam sighs as he shuts the door, irritated already.

"You did good babe," Ruby assures him. "Whatever you said to Dean, you got him here."

"Took him long enough," Sam tutted, shaking his head, before taking his son from Ruby, and holding him tight.

Watching the husband and wife duo walk into the living room, Dean and Cas couldn't help but remain on guard. If Sam was always so pissed at them, imagine what his demon wife would be like towards them…

But she wasn't anything like they imagined. She continued to smile at them with – was that joy? From Ruby? That doesn't sit right.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here guys," she gushed. "Whatever went on with you and Sam, I'm glad its all behind us, and we can work together on this."

"I wouldn't go that far," Dean confirmed. "We can work together, but none of what's gone on is being forgotten."

He shoots a sly look at Sam, who ignores him. Sam makes a point of looking away, and instead places his son on the ground, and gives him his favourite toy to keep him occupied.

"Well, that's a good start," Ruby states, her sickening positivity wearing thin already. "So what's the plan?"

"I've already called Jack," Cas informs them all, straight down to business. "He is on his way."

"You called him?" Dean questions his husband, shocked at not being involved in this decision. "When?"

"That's the Nephilim, right?" Ruby confirms. "You know… that could actually work!"

"It doesn't matter," Sam shakes his head. "I've already tried Jack, he wont help us."

"No," Castiel corrects him, "he wont help _**you**_. and why would he?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby suddenly becomes quite defensive.

But that's when Dean and Cas realise, in unison. And suddenly it all makes sense. Why Ruby didn't come with Sam to their house. Why she was so happy to see them both earlier. Why she is so disgustingly positive about them being in her house right now.

She doesn't know what's gone on between the Winchester brother's.

"Oh my god…" Cas mutters under his breath.

"She doesn't know, does she?" Dean asks his brother. "You never told her."

"Doesn't know what?" Ruby's smile begins to fade now, as her eyes flit back and forth between the two brothers. "What don't I know, babe?"

"Nothing, just forget it," Sam tries to comfort her, by stroking her arm a little.

"No!" she pulls away from her husband. "I'm fed up with the secrets, Sam!"

Everyone goes quiet, no-one wanting to look Ruby in the eyes. Cas looks down at Jemima, and starts pointlessly fiddling with and tidying her blankets. Dean and Sam are staring right at one another. Sam is pulling his puppy dog eyes, begging Dean not to tell her. But you can see Dean is clearly just pissed off.

"One of you better tell me what's going on, right now!"

"do you want to tell her, or shall i?" Dean finally breaks the silence of the other three, sternly offering the opportunity up to his brother. "Do you want to tell your wife why you haven't spoken to your own brother in the last 3 years? No?"

"You've suddenly gone a little quiet there, Sammy," Castiel butts in.

"DON'T you call me that," Sam snaps.

"I don't care who tells me," Ruby snarls, "just tell me!"

The room falls quiet again as Dean gives his brother one last chance to tell his wife the truth himself. But Ruby's patience grows cautiously thin,

"Look," she reinforces, "if it's going to effect anything that happens here, tonight, then I need to know."

"She's right, Dean," Cas admits. "She needs to know that she is married to a homophobe!"

"what the hell are you talking about!" Ruby shouts, not believing a word he says. "Dean, control your angel!"

"Exactly, Ruby!" Dean finally snaps. "He is my angel, _**my**_ angel."

Dean and Cas lift up their interlocked hands, and show off their wedding rings to Ruby.

"wh- you two are married?"

She seemed genuinely shocked. But not in the way Sam was when he found out, she is almost… smiling? Like she is… happy for them?

"yeah, married," Dean confirms, "to each other. Castiel is my husband. And apparently that shocks my so-called-brother to the core."

"Sam?"

She turns to look at her husband, who isn't even looking at her. He has crossed over to the other side of the room, where he is now tidying up John's toys. The hunter is trying his best to ignore the conversation, to ignore the truth being shared with the one person he really didn't want finding it out.

"That's not true, is it babe? Surely it's not…"

Ruby can't believe what she is hearing. It's Sam, he would never disown his brother like that, and over something so simple.

"oh, it's true," Cas really drills the facts in, enjoying showing Ruby how nasty Sam really is. "He didn't even turn up to our wedding, no matter how much Dean begged him to…"

Castiel squeezed Dean's hand a little tighter, as they both recalled how horrible that time was. The only person Dean really wanted at his own wedding, was his little brother, and it absolutely broke him that he refused to turn up. He was so close to calling the wedding off that day because he couldn't bare his brother not being there. Sammy always meant so much to him, he never thought he wouldn't want to be there on Dean's big day.

"Sam…" Ruby pleaded teary-eyed, begging him to prove the Novak's wrong.

But she knows they were telling the truth. Because Sam never even told her that Dean and Cas were an item, let alone telling her they got married. What she was hearing about her husband really was true. He really did hate his brother just for his sexuality.

"You don't get it baby," Sam walked towards his wife, pleading with her. "That's not the whole truth."

"oh, so now we're liars too?" Castiel's defensiveness was only growing stronger by this point.

"Cas…" Dean mutters in his husband's ear, shushing him. "It's between them now."

"It is true though," Ruby continues, "what they just said? You refused to be there for your brother on his wedding day?"

Sam's silence gave her the confirmation she needed. But she still didn't want to believe any of it.

"Your _**brother**_…" she continued to think out loud. "But… you're Sam and Dean Winchester…"

"He's a Novak now," Sam states, cold with emotion, remembering how Dean disowned his family name.

"Haven't been a Winchester in a very long time," Dean confirms, eyes fixed on his brother, showing no sadness, only anger.

And right in the middle of it all, quite predictably so, the doorbell goes again. Dean gladly leaves the room, as Castiel stays by Jemima's side.

Naturally, it's Jack.

"Thanks for coming," Dean smiles, as he goes in for a hug.

"of course," Jack confirms, as he wraps his arms around Dean in return.

He always loved a hug from Dean. It was such a protective, yet warm and caring hug. Like he was really grateful to have you there, like he gave you every ounce of affection he had towards you in one simple, friendly hug.

"But why are we here?" the Nephilim asked, as he followed Dean into the house. "Why aren't you two at home? Who's place even is thi-"

He pauses mid-sentence as he sees the other Winchester brother across the room. Much like Dean, he finds himself instantly standing a little straighter, ready for battle.

"You never said he was going to be here," Jack grunts at Castiel.

"I wish he wasn't here too, believe me," the angel agrees. "But we need all the help we can get right now, and unfortunately, that includes him."

"I've had enough of this!" Sam finally cracks, his voice raised instantly. "This is my house! You can't all just come in here and disrespect me like this!"

"You're the one that wanted our help!" Cas reminded him.

"I wanted Dean's help – I didn't realise he would come with an entourage, glued to his damn hip!"

"SAM!" Ruby and Jack shouted back him, in unison.

"What has gotten into you?!" Ruby grills him, barely recognising her own husband anymore. This behaviour is all new to her, but sadly it is the norm for Cas and Dean to experience from him. "They're here to help us!"

"Maybe I don't want their help after all," Sam pouts.

"That's it!" Dean shouts. "Cas, stay here with the baby. Jack, watch over Cas. Ruby… well, do what you like, it's your house. But you, Sam, come with me. Now."

Everyone does as their told – even Sam, much to the surprise of the others. Dean drags him into the kitchen, the others remain in the living room, their minds reeling.

Ruby has just found out Dean is married – to Castiel! Jack is disgusted that he has been asked to associate himself with Sam, after what he did to Cas. And Cas is frustrated that Dean is constantly giving his brother so many second chances to redeem his behaviour.

But for now, they focus on what's important. The children. Jack turns towards Castiel properly and peers into the car seat.

"She's so cute when she is sleeping," Jack gushes, grinning at the baby.

Ruby perches herself on the arm of the couch watching on with a smile. Cas has nothing against Ruby, even more so now he realises she knew nothing about the way Sam had been acting, so he is quite happy to let her watch over Jemima, too.

"hey there, cutie," Jack continues. "Hey, Jimmie, hey beautiful."

"Jimmy!" Ruby calls out, as her brain finally clicks. "Now the name makes sense!"

Castiel and Jack laugh a little, as she pieces it all together. Cas loves it when people realise the origin behind her name; it means so much to him.

"It was actually Dean's idea," Cas smiles lovingly, as he remembers all the thought that went into Dean's beautiful act of love.

"Its true," Jack confirms to Ruby. "He always says if it wasn't for Jimmy Novak, he wouldn't have had his Castiel here to marry. And he's right."

"And what better way to honour that," Ruby agrees with them, grinning, "than to let the name Jimmy Novak live on for another generation. I love it."


	7. That Sibling Connection

Across in the kitchen, however, the conversation is a little more heated, to say the least.

"You need to decide right now whether you want us here or not!" Dean instructs his brother. "Cause we can quite easily walk right back out of that door, and not come back. And I mean all of us. Including Jack."

Sam tuts in annoyance. He is feeling humiliated after the way their history was just broken to his wife, and not even from his own mouth. She had to hear it from the others. And they always make it sound so bad!

As his brother's silence still proves to Dean that he cant admit he needs them all there, Dean tries to clear the air once and for all.

"I don't care what you think your problem is with Cas, but it ends here! I don't know if you remember, but there are two very important, very vulnerable, little people we are all here to protect."

But still Sam doesn't respond to his brother.

"I give up!" Dean shouts. "I accepted your demon wife, but you can't accept my angel husband, just because he's a dude?! What kind of dick brother does that?!"

"when are you ever gonna hear me out on this Dean!" Sam finally responds.

"Hear you out? I have given you plenty of chances to say your peace – and more than ample opportunities to apologise to Cas!"

But now that the brothers finally have some alone time together, Sam finally seems able to open up some more.

"it's not the fact that you're gay; you can love whoever you want," Sam reassures his brother. "Love frickin' Crowley if he is your type, I don't care! What bothers me is that since you've been with Castiel you've disowned your family."

"that's crap!"

"is it?" Sam's voice is a little calmer now, as his side of the story is finally being heard. Even if it is only Dean listening right now. If he is even listening…

"When is the last time you phoned mum?" Sam continues. "When did you last speak to me before all of this?"

"you brought that on yourself, Sam!"

"no, " the slightest hint of anger – and jealousy - still there in Sam's voice. "It's always been Cas before anyone else. And its not right Dean! Who was the one who made you pie every time you were sick? Mum. Who was the one that comforted you when Dad was gone for weeks at a time? Me. Who was the one-"

"who walked out on me because he didn't want the life anymore?" Dean interrupts. "Who refused to come to my wedding? Who insults my husband whenever he is within 20 feet of the guy? Oh yeah, that's you too!"

"Dean, please, just listen to me!"

"No, Sam, all of this is crap!" Dean isn't buying any of his brother's excuses. "From the moment Cas and I got together you hated it. Even when we were just fooling around, before it became anything serious, you couldn't hide your look of disgust."

"that's not true…"

"just admit it, Sam! You hate having a brother that's gay. Well, luckily for you, I am no longer your brother. I haven't been for a long time. And you brought this on yourself."

Once again, Sam finds himself remaining silent. If he cant even get his own brother to listen to him and understand, then what's the point in going over the same arguments again and again?

Dean shakes his head at his brother, in shame. After all that they have been through together, he really though Sam would respect something as important to Dean as his family. Whether he agrees with it or not, Sam should respect Dean's decision to marry Cas and support him. But it doesn't look like that's ever going to happen now.

Dean walks back out to the others, his head hanging low, with sadness. He has officially lost his brother for good. There is no coming back from this. A single tear trickles down his face.

"Come on Cas, Jack," he mumbles under his breath, trying his best to hide his emotions, "we're leaving."

"Dean wait!" Ruby calls after them. "Sam, stop this, now!"

But before Sam can say anything, the windows burst inwards, shattering glass everywhere. Cas and Ruby find themselves instinctively arching their bodies over their children, protecting them from the flying debris.

Azazel arrives, as the door swings open. But he doesn't bother to even look at Ruby and John, instead he makes a bee-line straight for Castiel – or rather, Jemima.

"Kid Winchester number two," he snarls. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

But as the demon takes a step closer to baby Jimmy, Jack steps right into his path.

"NOOOOOO!" he screams.

It takes the threat of his loved ones being harmed to kick him into action, and his natural instincts take over.

He puts his hand out, palm facing Azazel. His whole face shows the immense amount of anger driving his power, as a bright glow of power forces the demon backwards. Azazel tries with all his might to fight against the supernatural force, screaming and pushing against it. But Jack is strong. There is a reason Cas asked the Nephilim to help them, and this was it. His over-riding instinct to protect his family, mixed with his incredible natural strength that doubles when he gets emotional. Jack barely breaks a sweat and before long, Azazel's lifeless body falls to the floor. Jack calmly lowers his hand, his eyes remaining locked on the lifeless body of old yellow eyes.

Even though he knows he is dead, Jack finds himself making one final statement to the idiot who thought he could take on the Nephilim and his family.

"No-one hurts my sister."


	8. The Aftermath

The whole team are frozen still in shock. Each of them sharing glances at their loved ones. Cas looks right over at Dean, who has his eyes locked on Jemima. Ruby and Sam are sharing a concerned, but relieved look, as they take a few seconds to catch their breath.

But Jack? He is staring right at baby John, inquisitively. His mind ticking away, it takes him a second to register the hunter's hand reaching for his shoulder, from behind.

"You saved our girl," Dean smiles at him, with admiration, pulling the Nephilim in for a hug. "I cant thankyou enough."

Cas joins the two of them just a few moments later, scooping up baby Jemima in his arms. Eventually, Dean releases Jack from his grip, but not before tapping him again on the shoulder, showing his debt of gratitude to his friend even more.

"Thankyou, Jack," Cas reinforces, also giving the Nephilim a one-arm hug, keeping the baby safely tucked away in his other arm.

Across the room, Sam and Ruby are looking on. Sam has his arm around his wife, and finds himself kissing her on the head, protectively. She cuddles into him a little, before pulling away and looking up at her doting husband.

"Sam…"

"No, not now," the hunter interrupts, apparently aware of what his wife was going to say to him. "It wont change anything for them; it's better they don't know."

He hugs her a little tighter, as she sighs to herself. She taps his chest, and walks across the room, towards her son. She puts on her usual fake-smile that every mother does so well, hiding all the pain they feel from the son she loves more than anything in the world.

"Right, you ready to go home gang?" Dean asks his friends, as he places a little peck on Jemima's head.

"Almost…," Jack replies. "You guys go ahead, I just need a minute."

Cas silently queries this, furrowing his eyebrows at Jack, who simply nods in response. Cas smiles a little, tucking the baby back in her car seat, ready for the journey ahead.

"We'll be in the car," Dean states, oblivious to the silent conversation going on between them.

Dean places an arm around his husband, as they head out the door, carrying Jemima by their side. Sam watches on from the other side of the room, shaking his head at the sight of his brother half-embracing the angel. He smiles to himself, almost in disbelief that he half-expected Dean to turn around and say goodbye. Of course, he didn't. Why would he?

All the while, Ruby is looking on at her husband, absent-mindedly dangling a toy in front of her sons face. She can see every ounce of pain and angst this brotherly feud causes him, and she hates it. He can deny that it bothers him all he likes, but its written all over his face.

She is interrupted mid-thought, though, as Jack approaches her.

"Ruby?" he asks, stepping right into her eye line.

"Jack," she forces a smile. "Thankyou so much for saving the day; you're quite the hero."

"I'm so sorry," he replies, deep sadness so clear in his voice.

"Sorry?" she asks, confused a little. "What have you possibly got to be sorry for?"

"I'm sorry I didn't get here in time to save your son."

Ruby's smile drops, replaced with sorrow instantly. Of course, her and Sam already knew it was too late for little John, but they didn't want the Novak family knowing. They didn't want their pity, their guilt – and Sam made it very clear that he didn't want the continued support from his brother and his husband through whatever they have ahead of them.

He may not be 100% human, but Jack knows when someone is upset. The lack of words speaks volumes. He places a hand on Ruby's shoulder and forces himself into her eyeline.

"It's okay, Ruby," he reassures her, "he is going to be okay."

Sam saunters across to join them, picking up on the fact that Jack has figured it all out. He stands next to his wife, placing a supportive arm around her again.

"Jack," the hunter begins, "we'd really appreciate it if you kept this to yourself."

"I owe you nothing," Jack growls back, through gritted teeth. But he stands himself to attention a little, as he focuses his attention on Ruby. "But I do owe you. I should have got here sooner, I could have saved your son, and I'm sorry. If you don't want the others to know, Ruby, I will respect that. It's the least I can do."

"Thankyou," she smiles, sighing a little at the hostility that remains between Sam and the others.

Jack nods at her, and looks over at John, smiling to himself. He walks across to the child, and strokes his hair, causing an involuntary giggle from baby John. Jack silently chuckles to himself at the sound, before turning to walk away.

"Just one more thing, Jack," Ruby can't help but ask.

The Nephilim stops midway towards the exit and turns to face her.

"How did you know?"

He isn't sure how to respond at first; instead his hand hangs low, guilt-ridden.

"I saw it as soon as I arrived," he finally admits. "Of course, I didn't know what it was right away, I couldn't figure it out. Something wasn't right about John, but I just couldn't quite place it. At first, I thought it was just the mix of a demon and a hunter, but its more than that. Once Azazel came crashing in here, I knew. I could see it in him, and I finally recognised what I was already seeing in John. The demon blood infiltrating his body. But not just bog-standard demon blood, it was – _it is_ – Prince of Hell blood. And I am so, so sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," Sam tries to comfort him, reaching his hand out.

Jack pulls himself away defensively, anger taking over his face immediately. He shakes his head.

"I really want to help John, Ruby," Jack continues, ignoring the hunter's pathetic attempts at building long-burned-out bridges. "But I can't. I can't fix this."

"He'll be okay, Jack," she reassures him, as she scoops up John, snuggling him into her. "His father coped with a bit of demon blood, and with my help, he turned out just fine."

She smiles and stretches herself up to peck her husband on the cheek.

"I wouldn't go that far…," Jack mutters under his breath.

"I think it's time you left," Sam instructs. "Dean will be waiting."

"and Castiel," Jack replies, with a huge, sarcastic grin. "Don't forget about him, will you Sam?"

"Never."

Sam snarls at Jack, as he finally leaves their home, slamming the front door behind him. Ruby tuts quite vocally at her husband, to which Sam just huffs, and heads out the room, up the stairs. He doesn't want another argument between them, not after the evening he has just had.

Before he reaches his room, though, Sam stops on the landing. Staring out the window at the top of the stairs, he watches as Jack clambers into the front passenger seat of that old, familiar car. He smiles to himself, thinking of all those happy memories that car holds for him and his brother. But then he see's Dean lean towards the back of the car, fussing over his daughter and husband in the back, and Sam grumbles to himself, quickly walking away from the window.

_At least wait until you get home, Dean; you really don't have to be so public with it all_, he thinks to himself.


	9. Out On The Road

Out on the road, the Novak family are settled into their long ride home. Jack is riding up front with Dean, after Cas requesting that he sat in the back to watch over Jemima. Not that he is doing much supervising now – both Cas and the baby are fast asleep in the back seats. The angel's head has flopped onto his own shoulder, with a protective hand still resting on his daughter.

"Dean?" Jack decided to break the silence.

"Yeah?" the hunter answered, with a simple smile.

Dean knows that inquisitive tone. Cas had it when he first fell, when the two of them first met. Dean remembers the pure innocence about the old Cas, and how much he adored it. He finds himself taking a glance in the rear-view mirror and subconsciously grinning to himself, reminiscing about his gorgeous husband.

"How many other's do you think Azazel infected, before we stopped him?"

"You stopped him, Jack, that was all you," Dean taps him on the leg. "Good job again, kiddo."

"Thanks," Jack can't help but beam with pride. He loves getting praise from Dean, it means so much to him. "But honestly, do you think there are many others out there?"

"Probably," Dean confirms.

"What will happen to them? The one's already infected?"

Of course, Jack is worried about all those that could potentially be affected, and the implications it could have. But, playing on his mind the most, is baby John. The guilt beginning to get at him again, he remembers how he promised Ruby he wouldn't tell Dean.

"Honestly? I don't know," Dean replies, looking a little sad himself now.

It's a harrowing thought for the hunter, to think they could have to repeat the similar apocalyptic world they faced last time. All those psychic kids out of control, scared of their own abilities, not even aware of the extent of their powers. Except this time would be worse; Dean would have a little family of his own to protect.

"But if it's anything like last time, we have got one hell of a fight on our hands."

Dean tightens his grip on the wheel, as he clenches his teeth in anger. But then he remembers that it is Jack he is talking to, and the Nephilim cant be scared into thinking about what is ahead of them.

"But hey," Dean forces out a smile, "we could get lucky, what with their leader out of the way, thanks to our saviour here!"

Dean tries to shoot a supportive, empowering smile at Jack, but it doesn't work.

"When have we ever gotten lucky, Dean?" Jack sounds quite defeated already, as he stares out of the window.

"no, come on, it's going to be fine!" Dean tried to keep up the smile, but can see it's not working. "Alright, I'll level with you. It's not going to be fine, because you're right, nothing ever is for us. But we've got through it before and we can do it again."

Jack looks over at Dean, trying to figure out if he is just being protective, or if he really does believe that they can succeed at this fight.

"Tell me about last time," Jack requests.

"There's not much to tell," Dean sighs. "It feels so long ago now, and most of it was Sammy's fight. The build-up was just as harrowing as the main battle, for me anyway…"

Dean pauses a little, as he remembers everything. Him and Sam fighting through it all, desperately trying to save everything around them. Him and Sam… just, him and Sam. Believe it or not, they were almost simpler times.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," Jack retracts, picking up on Dean's slight reluctance.

"No, it's alright, it's fine," Dean assures him. "Sam was infected. Azazel came into his bedroom when he was just 6 months old, and dripped demon blood into him. That was one of the worst nights of my life…"

"the night of the fire..." Jack confirms.

Dean nods.

"I took Sam and kept him safe. And Dad and I kept him safe for as long as we could, for many years after. Of course, at that time, we didn't know what Azazel had done. It was only once Sam and I picked up some cases by chance, and we discovered other kids using these psychic powers to control things around them."

"Like I do?" Jack queried, a little concerned for his own safety.

"Not quite. Well, the basics are the same, I guess, but these kids were so innocent. Half of them didn't realise what they were doing, and the other half didn't understand the full extent of their powers. Some were hurting their loved ones, killing off their families – they had no control over these new abilities they had discovered from nowhere."

"Including Sam?" Jack cautiously asked.

"We were lucky there, Sammy didn't seem too severe. Not at first, anyway. It was actually Ruby who encouraged him to hack into his powers and use them to his own advantage."

"Ruby? His wife?"

"That's right – they had quite the connection, to say the least."

Jack realised what Ruby had meant earlier now. She didn't just mean that she supported Sam, as any doting wife would, she actually helped him. She helped him control his powers, and helped to keep him safe. Jack found himself gaining a little more respect for Ruby, hearing this.

"So Sam was okay then? As long as he had Ruby?" the Nephilim asked.

"In a way… but the problem was, the more she helped him, the more demon blood he was using. She was giving him samples of her own blood to enhance his powers, so that he could learn to control them, and take down Lilith."

Dean's anger was beginning to show through his voice. The reminder of his little brother slowly becoming more and more infected with demon blood, Dean getting increasingly frustrated as he loses sight of his innocent, helpless brother.

"The _first demon_, Lilith?" Jack questions, knowing the historic tales of Lilith and her immense powers.

"Yeah, with the soul twisted by Lucifer himself. But the more he used these powers, Jack, the less human Sam became. So of course, I objected, begging him not to go dark. I begged him not to give into it all. I fought against Ruby, warning her off harming Sammy, but they wouldn't listen, neither of the would LISTEN!"

Dean finds himself hitting at the steering wheel, as he relives that moment. Right away he realises how engrossed he has got in his story telling, and tries to bring everything back down to reality, rushing through to the end. He doesn't want to feel a part of the hunting life anymore; those days are behind him.

"sorry," the hunter apologises for his outburst. "So Sam kills Lilith, the other kids kill each other off one by one, and I nearly lose Sammy. He… he, erm," Dean stumbles over his words, as he remembers what came next.

"he practically died in my arms, Jack," the hunter final admits. "it was horrible. The thought of losing my brother broke me."

Dean stops again, as he realises what he is saying. It caused him so much pain back then, thinking of moving on, without Sam by his side. But he is doing just that now.

"But now it's worse," Dean states, "because it's an option. No blood, no fight, just a selfish choice."

"It's his choice though, Dean," Jack comforts him. "You've done nothing wrong."

"Exactly. Sam is choosing not to be apart of my life, and that kills me," Dean's emotions begin to escape, as tears blur his vision. "It kills me so much more than holding his dying body in my arms. At least then I knew he still loved me as a brother, that he still loved me for being me."

"I'm so sorry, Dean."

"And it must really hurt Cas," Dean shakes his head and a tear rolls down his cheek, as he watches over his husband in the mirror again.

"I know it does," Dean continues. "He tells me all the time how much it pains him, how much he feels he is causing a rift between Sam and me. He blames himself for it all."

Jack watches on as Dean just stares into the rear-view mirror for a moment. Jack can see every bit of pain Sam has caused the couple, written all over Dean's face. Dean half smiles, almost in disbelief at how Sam still brings their family so much heartache.

"And honestly?" Dean pauses a little before admitting, "…it shatters my heart into… a _**billion**_ pieces… seeing my Cas so upset _**all **_the time."

Dean finds himself stopping there, as he tried to gather his emotions. Jack isn't really sure what to say.

What do you say when Dean Winchester finally opens up to you, with so many emotions he rarely shows anyone?

"Samuel made me make that choice," Dean sneers, as he wipes the tears from his face. "He made me choose between him and Cas. He bought this on himself."

"You made the right choice, Dean." Jack comforts the hunter, placing his hand on Dean's shoulder. Dean rests his hand on Jack's, as he nods in agreement, continuing to drive the family through the night.


End file.
